The Republic of Serb Krajina (Република Српска Крајина) was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, its separatist government engaged in a war for independence from the Republic of Croatia. The main part of the RSK was overrun by Croatian forces in 1995.
Some of the photos here also offer a rare glimpse into the refugee camp Batnoga. This chunk of Serb-held territory offered sanctuary to thousands of Bosnian Muslims from another enclave, just across the border. Their leader Fikret Abdic, once a wealthy businessman and politician in Sarajevo, was now fighting his own war of territory in neigbouring Velika Kladuša. Batnoga had been the chicken farm of his pre-war company with operations across Yugoslavia. Some of the refugees here lived in disused chicken coops before the UN provided tents and other shelter.
Do you remember Batnoga or the involvement of the Ukrainian UN soldiers in the area?
We are sharing history through the lens - your stories, your past on camera. We want the videos and photos on this site to help you share your thoughts and memories of the biggest events of the twentieth century in your parts of the world.
Oleksandr Klymenko studied journalism at Kyiv State University, has been working as a photo reporter for some of Ukraine's largest papers. In the 1990s he was a staff reporter for the Kyiv bureau of "Der Spiegel", he contributed for "El Pais" and other international publications.
Over the last 20 years Oleksandr has witnessed UN peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, South Sudan, DR Congo. He is the author of several photo albums, his archive contains thousands of photos.
oklymenko@gmail.com
Oлександр Клименко закончил факультет журналистики Киевского государственного университета имени Тараса Шевченко. С 1990-х годов работает фоторепортером газеты "Голос Украины", был штатным фотографом украинского бюро журнала "Der Spiegel", сотрудничал с испанской газетой "El Pais" и другими изданиями.
За последние 20 лет Oлександр Клименко был свидетелем миротворческих операций в странах бывшей Югославии, Ливане, Кувейте, Либерии, Кот-д-Ивуаре, Южном Судане, ДР Конго. Есть тысячи фото в его архиве. Он автор альбомов: "Украина. 10 лет Независимости", 2001, "Миротворческая деятельность украинских войск. Первое десятилетие", 2004, "Сквозь огонь и слезы", 2009.